Darkness of the Reactor
by I. M. Carter
Summary: It was the biggest earthquake in recorded Japanese history. It shattered the lives of millions. Fifty men are risking their lives for us. Written for the March 2011 Japan Earthquake. Support them in their hardships.


**Hey, today I have a very serious issue to talk to you about. That's right, Japan. I'm sure you've heard about the Japanese 8.9 (later 9.0) earthquake that happened on March 11, 2011 at 2:46PM. It was disastrous and has left thousands upon thousands dead or missing. Not long after, a huge tsunami swept across Japan, eating everything in its path. Unfortunately, several nuclear reactors were damaged during this massive earthquake. The cooling systems were hit the hardest and can no longer cool the fuel rods that reside in these nuclear reactors. 50 people are risking their lives, as I write and as you read, in an attempt to cool these rods. Radiation has already spilled into the atmosphere, and evacuations have taken place.**

**I'm not here to lecture you about what you probably know. But I have written this one-shot in order to raise awareness and show you how horrific the earthquake and tsunami has been. I do live in America, so I don't have special inside information. I know as much as you do, most likely less. I apologize for the long authors note, and I'll get on with the story.**

**Disclaimer: Izzy doesn't own Naruto, but she does own the plot and the OCs! :)**

_**~XxXxXOoOoOXxXxX~**_

_Friday, March 11, 2011 2:40PM – Sendai, Japan_

"Momoko! Stop running around, you're bound to get hurt," Sakura no Sabaku scolded her daughter. The red headed eight year-old paused from her laughing and grinned.

"NO!" She stuck out her tongue at her mother, and the pink-haired girl sighed.

"Don't make me call Daddy," Sakura threatened playfully. Momoko's eyes widened.

"NOOOOOOOOO!" She screamed. Moments later, Gaara no Sabaku emerged from his shared room with Sakura.

"What's with all the racket? I'm trying to sleep!" He growled with a smirk. Momoko ran to her father and hid behind his long legs.

"Mommy's being mean!" Momoko whined. Gaara raised an invisible eyebrow at his wife. She laughed and turned back to her desk, sitting down slowly. Sakura felt an arm around her waist, helping her down into the chair.

"I may be pregnant, but I'm not helpless!" Sakura teased.

"When you were pregnant with Momoko, you missed the chair and fell," he pointed out in a dead-panned voice. Sakura could not help but giggle at her husband's antics.

"That would explain so much about how she turned out." Gaara gave her a rare smile.

Suddenly, the ground began to shake and the precious china tumbled from their respective places on the homey shelves. Momoko began screaming when a banister from the ceiling fell beside her.

"Earthquake!" Gaara bellowed.

Sakura let out a gasp, as Gaara scooped up the crying child and grabbed his wife's hand and pulling them to the nearest doorway. Momoko wrapped herself around her father's neck, while Gaara held Sakura protectively. Sakura had her hands around her stomach, as if shielding the baby from the shaking. For the next few moments they remained in the doorway, watching their house collapse from the inside out. Then as quickly as it had started, the tremors stopped. Sakura glanced at her destroyed home and began to weep. Gaara pulled her into a hug, as if that would make everything right again.

Then a thought occurred to Gaara.

_The nuclear reactor! _On Gaara's list of most important things, right after family and home, the third item was his job. He worked as manager at a nearby nuclear power plant, and he knew that such a powerful earthquake would most likely damage something significant there. Gaara led Sakura and Momoko away from their once perfect home and brought them to the car.

"Gaara, where are we going?" Sakura asked in a nervous voice. Gaara sighed.

"You and Momoko are going to Granny Chiyo's home. I'm going to the power plant to make sure nothing is too serious," Gaara said, keeping his eyes on the road while his wife fumed.

"Gaara, we don't even know if the earthquake is over. There will surely be aftershocks and possibly even tsunami's headed toward land. That plant is as dangerous as you can get!" Sakura yelled, making Momoko in the back seat flinch. Gaara clenched the steering wheel and turned onto the long and winding driveway that led to Sakura's mother's house. As he parked, a small old woman came hurrying out.

"Sakura, Sakura, are you alright?" Granny Chiyo demanded. A moment later, Sakura's older brother Sasori came out, his hazel eyes clouded with worry. Sakura helped Momoko out of the car and met her mother halfway.

"Oka-san, we are fine. Our house on the other hand is not. But we came to stay with you; seeing as your house is well above sea-level, and we'll be safe if a tsunami comes rolling in." Sakura glanced at Gaara, who was leaning against their car. Granny Chiyo nodded taking Momoko's hand and leading the child inside the house.

"Let's go and clean up a bit, shall we Momoko?" Granny Chiyo smiled the best she could at her grandchild. Sasori stayed behind and looked expectantly at his younger sister.

"You're okay? As well as the baby?" He asked gently. Sakura unconsciously dropped a hand to her stomach.

"Yeah, we're fine," Sakura said. Gaara approached her from behind and gave her a small kiss on the neck.

"I'll be back as soon as possible," he murmured. Then he turned around and got into the car. Sasori nodded at his brother-in-law, knowing where he was headed.

"C'mon Sakura, you'll freeze to death in this weather." Sasori took her hand and led her into the house.

_**~XxXxXOoOoOXxXxX~**_

_Ring Ring_

"Hello?" Sakura picked up her cell phone, worried as to who'd be calling.

"_Sakura? Oh Sakura. Thank god you're okay." _Naruto's voice was cracking, as if he'd been crying.

"Naruto? Naruto, tell me what's wrong." Sakura gripped the phone, not caring if she broke it.

"_Sakura, its Neji, Tenten, Hinata, and Kiba. Sakura, their bodies haven't been found."_ Sakura froze, thinking instantly about her best friends. The four of them shared an apartment in Tokyo. When she didn't reply, Naruto continued.

"_They've found Akamaru. But he's frantic and keeps sniffing the building. Sakura, their apartment building collapsed."_ Sakura let out a cry. Akamaru was Kiba's dog and best friend. If the two were separated, something was wrong.

"_Sakura, I know. And I really don't want to tell you this but…" _Naruto's voice trailed off. Sakura took in a deep breath.

"Naruto, tell me now what else happened," Sakura said as calmly as possible. Suddenly, she heard Naruto choke up.

"_Sasuke was at the beach and the incoming tsunami took him out to –" _Sakura cut Naruto off abruptly with a sob.

"Don't finish that sentence, Naruto." Sakura squeezed her eyes shut, remembering her first love, Sasuke Uchiha. And just like that, he was gone. She would never see him again.

"_Sakura," _Naruto let out a big ragged breath, _"let me talk to Gaara."_

"He's not here," she whispered.

"_What? Where is he?"_

"At the power plant."

"_That son of a –"_

"Naruto."

"_Didn't he listen to the reports? The reactors' cooling system is down! The power plant could be having a meltdown!"_

Sakura took in a sharp breath. She sniffled one last time and tried to speak in an even tone.

"Naruto, I think Granny Chiyo is calling. I'm glad you're okay, and make sure to tell me if anyone is found," Sakura lied, an ability she'd mastered over the years.

"_I will, be safe Sakura." _Naruto hung up and Sakura bolted upright. She darted over to a shelf near the door and grabbed a ring of keys.

Hearing the jingle of his car keys, Sasori straightened and stood, looking out the window he saw his little sister getting into his bright red Ferrari and drive off before he could react.

"Crap," he muttered.

_**~XxXxXOoOoOXxXxX~**_

Sakura approached a security gate closing off the only way into the nuclear power plant. She slowed down the car and rolled down the window to talk to the security guard at his post.

"Konichiwa! Ma'am I apologize, but only employees are allowed past this point. If you live nearby I suggest you go home and pack; they're expecting an evacuation of the surrounding areas due to radioactive exposure." The guard was very polite and, Sakura had to admit, that he was even kind of cute. But she hadn't come here to be turned away like this!

"You don't understand; I need to get to my husband! He's the manager here, and I certainly don't want him anywhere near this dangerous place!" Sakura protested. The guard shook his head.

"Gomenenasai," he said, tipping his hat. Then he glanced down at the woman to get a closer look at her face. As he did so, he noticed her bulging stomach.

"Ma'am, you're clearly pregnant! I order you to leave this facility and prepare to evacuate!" He commanded in a voice that he certainly had not greeted her with. Sakura growled.

"I will get in there if it's the last thing I do!" She stepped on the gas and crashed into the gate, easily breaking the poor object. The guard frantically grabbed his walkie talkie and yelled some incoherent words into it.

"We've got a visitor," was all that the people on the other end of the line could understand.

_**~XxXxXOoOoOXxXxX~**_

"Look sir, we have to keep these fuel rods cool." Gaara sighed, his worker was right; if the fuel rods didn't stay under a certain temperature they would certainly cause a meltdown.

" Inari Get forty-nine of the best workers we have here, and also tell them that their country thanks them."

Inari nodded before running off.

"And number fifty, is me," Gaara said. The walkie talkie on his belt crackled.

"Pregnant pink-haired woman in red Ferrari is in pursuit." Gaara scowled.

"Sakura."

_**~XxXxXOoOoOXxXxX~**_

Sakura swerved past several security guards, smiling slightly as she felt adrenaline rush through her veins.

She messily parked in the parking lot and as fast as she could, hobbled towards the back entrance Gaara had told her about in the past. She pushed through the door into a white bare room with a plain coffee maker, two chairs, a sofa, and… Gaara. His sea foam colored eyes were blazing.

"Gaara!" Sakura yelled her face turning into a frown.

"You knew about the reactors and the possible meltdown and yet you came?" She screamed. Gaara's expression softened.

"I could say the same to you," he said softly. Sakura didn't realize that she'd been crying.

Gaara walked to her and put his arms around her in a familiar hug, his lips meeting hers briefly. The door leading to the reactors creaked open.

"Gaara-senpai?" Inari poked his head into the room, "it's your shift." Gaara nodded wordlessly.

He gave her one last brush of the lips and turned. He paused at the door, stopped by Sakura.

"The radio said that there were fifty workers who are giving their lives to try and cool down the fuel rods," she started, her voice already cracking, "are you one of them?"

Gaara looked at her with a single expression, one that said "I love you," "be happy," and "yes," all at the same time.

He gripped with doorknob and left the room, only accompanied by the quiet sound of Sakura's weeping.

Then Gaara walked into the darkness of the reactor.

_**~XxXxXOoOoOXxXxX~**_

That day, I lost more than my house.

I lost five of my friends, my home, my husband, and my child.

My friends died because of collapsing buildings and monstrous tsunamis.

My home was demolished by tremors of the ground.

My husband died of radioactive exposure.

My child, the one that hadn't even seen the light of day, I miscarried due to the fact that no one around here can reach proper nutrients. It was either him or both of us. I would've given my life though, if it meant he would live.

I've lost everything, and all because of mother nature.

_**~XxXxXOoOoOXxXxX~**_

**This just shows that no matter what we try to do, nothing can withstand the wrath of nature. It creates, and it destroys.**

**So remember to support Japan in its hardships at the moment and keep them in mind! :D**


End file.
